The Children's Hour
by Helena Mira
Summary: While Hal and Phoebe are on their honeymoon, Grammy and Grampie Everett have their hands full dealing with their grandchildren and adult children. The question becomes, who are really the bigger kids?
1. Chapter 1

_These are not my characters and I make no profit from their use._

**The Children's Hour**

_**While Hal and Phoebe Everett are off on their honeymoon, various family members spend time together between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve. Grammy and Grampie have their hands full between the real children and the adult children. This story is told from a variety of points of view, using Trelawney's own names for each of them.**_

**Prologue: The Lovely Lady**

Honeymoons are for lovers, and Catherine Everett could not think of two lovers more deserving of a romantic three-week honeymoon in Hawaii than her son Hal and his new wife Phoebe. Because they had decided to marry quickly after they became engaged, their timing for an immediate honeymoon had been pretty far off.

Hal was a university professor and it was the midterm of the semester. Seeing the problem that his poor planning had created, her two older sons, Ben and Bob, made the arrangements for this trip. Considering the amount of childish fraternal teasing that had gone on the weekend of their marriage blessing, Catherine thought that it was the least they could do.

The day after Christmas, Hal and Phoebe would be flying out to spend three weeks in paradise. Not the type for crowds or tourist attractions, they were going to stay in their own private bungalow on the small island of Kauai. Their time there could then be as peaceful or as busy as they wanted. Catherine suspected that they were going to choose peaceful.

The two weeks approaching Christmas had been busy for both of them. He had final exams and semester grades. She had the house to prepare for the holidays and a church Christmas pageant to prepare for. Their schedules left them almost no time together. He was up late doing his paperwork. She had to be up early to get the kids off to school. He was used to this kind of schedule. It was how he and his first wife had gotten along. She missed him sorely.

It had soon become obvious that she was pushing herself too hard. She was also unhappy without him around. She never complained, but even the children noticed that they needed more time together. Her oldest grandson had suggested that the kids spend lots of time at their house making presents for their parents and each other. This gave them a bit more time together. But Phoebe was still tired.

It was at this point that she began to really suspect that Phoebe was pregnant with their first child. This child meant a great deal to both of them, but to Phoebe especially. She wanted a daughter that she would be able to name for her mother, who had died less than a year ago. Catherine had also lost her mother at a young age. Their mothers had shared the same name, Margaret.

However, it was still too early to know and she didn't want to mention it. A month earlier she had been disappointed and she did not want her to feel that way again. In addition to the fatigue, Catherine had begun to detect an inner calm and serenity that would fall over her when she was happy. She had seen it many times before. It was the inner glow that all women carrying a child had.

Now Phoebe was clearly joyful that she was about to embark on a journey alone with her husband. There were kisses and hugs for all the children, even the always reluctant Butch. When their flight number was called, Hal protectively put his arm around her and led her to boarding area. Neither looked back.

**The Fair Maiden**

Once they put Hal and Phoebe on their flight for their honeymoon in Hawaii, Rob and Catherine Everett gathered up the children to go home. The kids wanted to see the plane take off, so they waited until it took from the runaway and flew off to the west. The kids were all very quiet on the drive back.

"Something wrong, kids?" asked Rob, cheerfully. He knew what the problem was and wanted to get them talking about it.

"I can't believe that we're not going to see them for three whole weeks. We won't even get to talk to them on the phone," complained Prudence who was the most disgruntled by the honeymoon.

"Not many couples talk to their kids on the phone when they're on their honeymoon," commented Catherine.

"Not many couples who go off on their honeymoon have kids," replied Butch, knowingly. Butch was not a very demonstrative child, but he was sensitive. He knew that his Mom needed the time with his Dad.

"True," answered Rob. "But don't you think that it's nice for them to get away by themselves?"

"I guess I do," said Hal, who also understood his Mom's feelings. "But I'm still going to miss them."

"Do you think that they'll miss us?" asked Prudence hopefully.

"No!" said Rob and Catherine together and then laughed.

"Kids," said Catherine. "You probably don't remember this, but when your Dad was married to your first Mom, they used to go away by themselves sometimes. Sometimes parents need a break from their kids. In the case of your parents, they've never really had one before."

"My Mum and Papa went away by themselves sometimes," said Phoebe's sister Trelawney. But then she turned toward the window and hugged herself. The last time that her parents went away without her, they didn't come home. They had been killed in a car wreck nearly a year ago.

Catherine looked back concerned and the other kids were quiet again. It was a silent ride the rest of the way home and when everyone else got out of the car, Trelawney stayed behind, huddled in a corner of the backseat. Catherine didn't want to leave her alone. She went around to the door and opened it up. She saw that the little girl was crying.

"They are coming back, aren't they?" she asked, her tear streaked face looking up uncertainly.

"Of course they are," she said softly and then saw that her attention was shifted to someone standing behind her. It was her cousin Emmeline.

"Come here, love," she said. "Come to Em."

The child reached out to her older cousin, who took her in her arms. She was a big girl, eleven-years-old, but Catherine suspected that she was light as a feather.

"Come on, little love. It will be alright," she said.

"Are you sure, Em? Are you absolutely sure?" asked the child, watching her face intently. Catherine saw the trust in her eyes.

"Your cousin Em knows these things, then, doesn't she? Phoebe and the Professor will come back to you, I promise," she answered.

"And?" asked the child.

"Yes, love, and," Emmeline assured her. "Everything will be fine."

The young girl gave her a hug. Emmeline set her back down and she walked slowly back into the house. Emmeline turned to Catherine.

"She's very thin," she said, clearly worried. "There's nothing left of her. Won't she eat?"

Catherine was nervous. She was afraid to tell her the truth.

"Catherine," said Emmeline. "The last thing that I want to do is take her away from here, from you, or from Phoebe. But she must be protected. I need to be able to go back to the family and tell them that she is fine, both in body and spirit. I saw Pastor Jason this morning. He is very worried also."

"We've been doing what we can, but we can't force her to eat," said Catherine. "She has been eating well for the last two days. I can't guarantee it will last. She ate almost nothing at dinner last night."

"I will stay as long as I can," said Emmeline cryptically. "But I must get back to the family. I cannot tell you much. I must maintain the family's trust or I will be of no use to her."

"What about Phoebe?" asked Catherine, anxiously.

Emmeline was thoughtful. The family had let go of Phoebe. Their only interest in her was that she had Trelawney with her. However, the Everetts still had trouble understanding that. She knew that Catherine was suspicious that Phoebe might be carrying her grandchild. She was concerned not only about Phoebe, but for the child as well. She wanted to do everything in her power to protect them, but she did not know where to start.

Emmeline knew that Phoebe was, indeed, with child and in fact needed Catherine's help at this time. Perhaps she could give her a clue. If she understood Trelawney, then perhaps she would understand the dream world in which she lived in. There was much that she could not tell her, but she could hint around the edges.

"The lovely lady is under the protection of the gallant knight, who also now protects the fair maiden. The fair maiden is here but she is not here, only the good queen knows. Trelawney knows that she must stay near the good queen. She must not leave the good queen. The wise gentleman protects them all. You must all listen to the wise gentleman," she said.

Catherine looked at her closely. She knew that she was trying to tell her something very important. She turned the words over in her mind. They were the words that Trelawney had been speaking for three months. However, there was a very subtle variation in what she had just said. A thought occurred to her and she saw the merest fragment of an indication that Emmeline was aware of it.

"May I ask a question?"

"Only one," replied the young woman, knowing it was a risk. "Before you ask, be sure that it is the right one."

Catherine thought hard. She actually had two questions. She could only choose one. Finally she made up her mind. Once again, there was a flicker in Emmeline's eyes and a barely perceptible nod.

"Is Trelawney the fair maiden?" she asked.

"No," replied Emmeline. "I can say no more."

She turned and walked quickly back into the house. Catherine stood very still. She knew. She had known, but had not known that she had known. Thus, Emmeline had told her nothing. You cannot tell someone something that she already knows.

Maisie was present, but she was not present. She would not be present until she was born. It was now Maisie who was the fair maiden. And only the good queen knew. Instinctively, she knew that she must never reveal to anyone, even her husband, what she now knew.

**The Wee Fairy**

Prudence loved her new dollhouse. It was the biggest and most wonderful Christmas present that she had ever gotten. And it was all thanks to Trelawney. It was amazing how the big girl knew so many things. Who would have ever thought that by only asking for one thing, you could get the most wonderful thing?

Of course it also helped to have uncles like Uncle Ben and Uncle Bob. She had always known that Uncle Bob was a very important man, but to be a man who got phone calls from Santa! He must be as important as the president.

Butch and Hal had laughed when he said that Santa had called him up to tell him about the dollhouse and how it would need furniture. But Trelawney didn't laugh. Trelawney laughed about a lot of things, but she never laughed about important things like Father Christmas and Santa Claus. And she never laughed about magic.

When Hal laughed about magic she told him that just because he couldn't prove that something did exist, didn't mean that it did not exist. Mommy said things like that too. When Trelawney said things like that they always made sense. But that made Hal mad. That was because he knew that she was right. After all, he couldn't prove that she was wrong.

It made perfect sense too. Trelawney was not really a very good little girl. She liked to play pranks and argue and tease. She said things and then got sent to her room to do her homework. She got in trouble all the time, but she said that Father Christmas never forgot her. That was because she believed in magic. She told Prudence that nothing was impossible, but first you had to believe in magic. Magic was like love. You couldn't see it, but you knew that it was there anyway.

And Trelawney was right. First she didn't believe that Nanny could ever be her Mommy. And now she was. Then she didn't believe that Nana would ever love her Mommy. But now she did. When Nana came over for Christmas dinner, she gave her Mommy a big hug and a kiss. That meant that there was such a thing as love.

Trelawney said that only love made things like that happen. Love was like magic. It made the impossible happen. So now she knew that there was such a thing as magic. The only thing that could have made Nana love Mommy was magic.

When they got back from the airport she was disappointed because Trelawney was so sad that she didn't want to play with her. She didn't say that she didn't want to play. She just went to her room and curled up on her bed in a little ball with her doll. Whenever she did that it meant that she was sad. And when she was sad, she did not want to play. Cousin Emmeline came upstairs and looked worried.

"Prudence, have you seen Trelawney?" she asked.

"She's in her room," she answered. "But she doesn't want to play. She's in her sad ball."

Cousin Emmeline looked very confused.

"Whenever Trelawney is sad," she explained. "She goes into her room and curls up on her bed with her doll in a little ball. I'm the only one who knows because she used to sleep in my room. I thought it was okay to tell you because now you are sleeping in her room. You don't think that I tattled, do you?"

Cousin Emmeline smiled a little and said, "Don't worry, you haven't tattled. Does she go into her sad ball a lot?"

"Not any more," said Prudence. "She only goes into her sad ball when she's missing her Mum and her Papa."

Cousin Emmeline nodded as if she were saying, "of course, that makes sense." Then she looked at her in a funny way.

"Prudence," she said. "You notice a lot of things that go on in the house, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," explained Prudence. "No one ever tells me anything because I'm just a little kid. If I didn't notice things then I wouldn't know anything."

"How good are you at keeping secrets?" asked Emmeline.

Prudence felt guilty. "I'm good at some secrets, but not others. I kept all of Trelawney's secrets until she told me that I could tell them. But they were hard secrets."

"Why were they hard?" asked Emmeline.

"Well," explained Prudence. "Usually it's fun to know secrets and then tell them. But Trelawney's secrets were scary. They were scary to know and scary to tell. But Mommy was glad when I told them. She said that I was a brave girl."

"I'm sure you were," said Emmeline thoughtfully.

Prudence watched as Emmeline left. Cousin Emmeline was very nice. She loved Mommy and Trelawney both. She scolded Daddy sometimes when he lost his temper. It was kind of funny. She didn't think that anyone else could get away with scolding Daddy. Well, Mommy might, but Prudence knew that she would never scold him.

Prudence wondered if Trelawney was out of her sad ball and would come and play with her. She could see that the door to her room was open, so she crept very quietly in the hallway. She could hear her crying to Cousin Emmeline.

She said, "I want my Mum. Mum and Papa went away and never came back."

Cousin Emmeline was saying, "There, there, love. Cousin Em is here. It's okay for you to cry. Just let it all out. Em will stay until you feel better."

Prudence walked away. She knew that Trelawney was afraid that Mommy and Daddy would never come back. Prudence wasn't afraid that they wouldn't come back. But it was different for Trelawney. The last time that her Mum and Papa went away, they didn't come back.

Now Cousin Emmeline was telling her that it was okay to cry. No one had ever told Prudence that it was okay to cry. When Mommy said, "there, there," she wanted her to stop crying.

She decided to talk to Grammy about it. She knew that Grammy really loved Trelawney. She didn't think that she would want her to cry.

Grammy was working in the kitchen when she found her. She was making blueberry scones. Blueberry scones were Trelawney's favorite. Now she knew that Grammy wouldn't want her crying.

"Grammy," she said. "I'm worried about Trelawney. She's in her sad ball and she crying."

"Oh, dear!" said Grammy. "Did she make you go away?"

Prudence suddenly realized that she had been spying. Grammy had warned her about spying on people.

"Well," she answered. "Trelawney really didn't know that I saw her. Neither did Cousin Emmeline."

Grammy took a deep breath.

"Prudence," she said in her voice that said "I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over." "How many times do I have to tell you not to spy on people?"

"I don't know," she said. "I guess one more."

"Well, as long as you did, you might as well tell me what you saw."

"Trelawney is crying and Cousin Emmeline was saying 'there, there,'" explained Prudence. "But she's not telling her to stop crying. She's saying to let it out."

"Do you know what she is crying about?"

"She's crying about her Mum and Papa. Whenever she cries about them she curls herself up in a little ball with her doll. Nobody is supposed to know," she said. "I guess now I've tattled too."

"Yes, you have. And tattling and spying are both very bad things," said Grammy. "I know that you are worried about Trelawney because you love her like a sister, but from now on you shouldn't spy on her and tattle on her as if she is your sister. You know very well that you should not be spying and tattling on anyone."

"Okay," said Prudence. "But why does Cousin Emmeline want her to cry?"

"Sometimes when you are very, very sad," explained Grammy. "Crying is the only way to let out the sadness. Cousin Emmeline loves Trelawney very, very much so Trelawney knows that she is a safe person to cry with."

"Like Mommy and Daddy?" asked Prudence.

"Have you been spying on your Mommy and Daddy?" asked Grammy, getting annoyed again.

"Only on accident," Prudence explained. "Sometimes when I am looking for Mommy, she's with Daddy and she's crying. It's the only time she ever cries. But if I see her crying I always go away. I told Trelawney once and she said that Mommy and Daddy needed their privacy. She said that Mommy doesn't want for me to know that she's crying."

"Well, I'm sure that she's right," said Grammy. "Now I think that you should find something to do that doesn't involve getting into other people's business."

"Well, I wanted to play with Trelawney," said Prudence. "But she was in her sad ball. So now I have no one to play with."

"Before Trelawney came, who did you play with?" asked Grammy.

"Butch, but now if I ask him to play he tells me to go play with her," said Prudence.

Grammy took another deep breath and then told her that she could help her in the kitchen. Prudence was happy. She helped her Mommy in the kitchen all the time. This was almost the same but not quite. Grammy scolded her the whole time about minding her own business.

Mommy never scolded when they worked together. She talked about all the fun things that they could do when they were done working. Or she told her stories about how she worked with her Mum when she was a little girl. There was nothing better than working with Mommy.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Fool**

Butch knew that he should feel bad that his parents had left for three weeks on their honeymoon, but he really didn't feel bad at all. He knew that Mom really missed Dad when he wasn't around. So he was glad that now she had him all to herself.

He thought that it was kind of weird because she hadn't missed him at all when she was their Nanny. She would go around, doing all of her jobs in the house and taking care of them. She did bug Dad when he worked too hard, but that was because she wanted him to spend more time with them. But things really changed when they fell in love.

Dad was around more, but it was because he wanted to be with her. And she had always managed things just fine by herself, but now she had Grammy and Grampie to help. She even liked having them help. When they helped her, then she got more time alone with Dad. Butch knew that that was good.

Probably no one was happier than he was when Grammy and Grampie said that they were going to be living up the street. He loved having his Grampie around. It wasn't until he had Grampie that he realized why Dad would rather spend time with Hal than with him. Dad and Hal liked to talk about the same things. It was hard for him to talk with Dad. Dad always listened, but Butch could tell that he got bored sometimes. But when Butch talked to Grampie, he didn't just listen. He cared.

Grampie liked to listen to him when he talked about building the fence last summer. He really was interested in how they put it together and painted it. Everyone else had listened, but they had only pretended to be interested. Then he showed him how to use all the really neat tools that he had in his workshop in the basement. He was real proud of the spice rack he made. He was very careful to measure and cut all the pieces perfectly and then fit them together.

It was really cool because he also showed him how there was all kinds of math in the measuring and making all the pieces even and fit together. He had always thought that math was a waste of time, but now he knew that if he wanted to build things, then he would need some of his math.

It was kind of like when he had money of his own to spend in the store. If he went in, he always knew how to buy the most things for the amount of money he had, especially if they were on sale. One time when he was shopping with Mom, she laughed and told him that he could be really good at math if he tried. He had rolled his eyes and said that this wasn't math. This was money.

But Grampie was special for other reasons too. Because Dad was so busy at the university, sometimes it felt like there was no man around the house. He knew that Hal tried to be the man of the house, but Hal forgot that he was just a kid too. Grampie was there when they needed someone to help with some of the hard stuff. He didn't understand most of it, but it had to do with Mom and Trelawney.

He felt bad because even though Trelawney was Mom's sister and if she hadn't come to live with them then Mom would have gone away, he thought that she was a pain. Sometimes it was just that she was a pain like Prudence was a pain, because she was an annoying girl.

But sometimes she made everyone in the house upset because she had nightmares or she started to talk weird. Hal said that she was weird in school too, but that they all had to take care of her because she was special and she was real sad because she missed her Mom and Dad.

Butch had thought about it and decided that if they were all happy now because they had a new Mom, then maybe Trelawney needed a new Mom and Dad and then she would be happy too. And she could go live somewhere else. But when he told Hal his idea, he yelled at him and said that it was the meanest thing that he ever heard. That was when he decided that he would ask Grampie.

One day during Christmas vacation he found his Grampie reading alone in the living room.

"Grampie," he said. "Can we have a man-to-man talk?"

"Of course, Butch. What do you want to talk about?" he answered with a smile. It was the smile that he always had when he wanted to talk man-to-man.

"Well, I had an idea, but before I tell you, I want you to promise not to get mad at me," he said.

"Why do you think that I would get mad at you?" he asked.

"Because Hal did. And then he yelled at me," he replied.

"Well I'm not Hal, so I promise not to get mad," he said.

"Okay," said Butch. "This is the thing. It's starting to be a pain to have Trelawney around. It seems like everything is going good and Mom is happy, she goes and causes trouble and then Mom gets all sad again. I just want us all to be happy all the time."

"Well, Butch," answered Grampie. "Trelawney has had a real hard time. I don't think that she means to cause trouble. She just misses her parents a whole lot."

"Well," said Butch. "That's what my idea is about. You see we were all sad because we didn't have a Mom. But then Dad married Mom and now we're all happy, until Trelawney has a nightmare or starts talking all weird again. So I thought that if Trelawney had her own Mom and Dad then she would be happy. And then she could go live with them and then we would be happy all the time."

Grampie started to look at him funny when he said that. He didn't look mad. He looked like he didn't know what to say. He thought for a minute that maybe he even agreed with him, but then he said something he didn't expect.

"Butch," he said. "If you want your Mom to be really, really sad then we could send Trelawney away. Come here, I want to show you something."

Grampie went over to the picture albums that Cousin Emmeline had brought from England. He opened one of them. On the front page it said, "Our Two Angels" in old-fashioned handwriting. He opened to the next page.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked pointing to a blonde girl who looked a little older than Hal.

"That's Mom!" said Butch. "Who's the baby?"

"The baby is Trelawney. Do you see how Mom is looking at her?" he asked.

Butch didn't like that question. Mom was looking at her like she really loved her. He didn't answer and Grampie started to turn the pages. There were lots of pictures, but only two people in them. All the pictures were of Mom and Trelawney. It looked like there were pictures from every year.

In every picture Mom looked like she really loved Trelawney a lot. She was hugging her and smiling. He looked at the last picture. Mom looked like Mom when she first came to them as Nanny. And Trelawney looked almost like she did when she came last year.

They were sitting in front of a house. Trelawney was sitting on Mom's lap and they were both smiling at each other. He had never seen her smile that happy, Trelawney that is, since he had known her. He realized what Grampie was trying to tell him.

"I guess that it was a pretty bad idea," admitted Butch.

"I'm glad that you can see that," said Grampie. "You're growing up now. One of the things that happens when you grow up is that you begin to understand that your feelings are not the only feelings that are important. Now I know that even though you said that you wanted Trelawney to be happy, I think that you were really thinking about yourself."

"And my family, especially Mom," said Butch. "But I forgot that even if Trelawney was a pain, then Mom would still love her a lot. I guess that she would be sad if she went away."

"Yes, she would," said Grampie. "One of the things that everyone has to realize sooner or later is that being in a family is hard and it takes work. Sometimes you have to love family members even when they make you sad."

"Like Nana?" asked Butch.

"Yes, that's a very good example," said Grampie. "And that's also a really great example of how much your Mom loves all of you. Nana hurt her feelings a whole lot and made her very sad. But she knew that it was important for you to have her in your life as your grandmother. It would have been very easy for her to just tell your Dad that she didn't want her to see you anymore. I think that if she asked your Dad that he would have agreed."

"Oh, I know he would have agreed," said Butch. "Especially after all the really mean things that Nana said about Mom when we went to visit her."

"But she didn't," said Grampie. "Because she loves you. Someday you will understand why she did that for all of you. Now I would appreciate it if you don't ever mention your idea about finding Trelawney a new home to anyone again. If your Mom knew that you had even thought of it then that would make her very upset."

"I understand," said Butch. "I promise I won't. Grampie, what's a midlife crisis?"

"Why would you ask that, Butch?"

"Well, when Nana was being mean to Dad she told him that he was having a midlife crisis and that was why he married a sweet young thing to keep his bed warm," explained Butch.

Grampie looked at him really strangely. He looked like he wanted to laugh and that he didn't know what to say. Finally he answered.

"Butch, a midlife crisis is when a man tries to act younger than he is and becomes interested in women who are younger than him. But I don't think that that applies to your father, even if your Mom is much younger than he is," he said.

"I don't either," said Butch. "But come to think of it. I think that Uncle Ben and Uncle Bob are having a midlife crisis. They sure are acting pretty goofy around Cousin Emmeline."

This time Grampie did laugh and told him that he was a real sharp kid. Then he told him that he thought that Emmeline could take care of herself. Butch agreed. Dad had fallen in love with Mom, but he had never acted goofy. He just acted like he loved her. He took care of her. He never had to say goofy things to get her attention either. She gave him her attention because she loved him back.

Butch didn't like school, but he was glad that vacation was almost over. He had too much time to think about things when he was on vacation. He didn't like that. It made him think of things that might hurt other people's feelings and make them sad. Once school started, he could think about Cub Scouts and basketball. That stuff was fun to think about. He would much rather not have to think about anything like this again for a very long time.

**The Wise Fool**

Hal was really relieved when Nana decided that she did like Mom after all. It had been so hard when she didn't because she made him feel like he had to choose between his old Mom and his new one. But deep down, he knew that he really didn't have to choose.

When Prudence asked her if she could have an angel Mom and an earth Mom and they could both be her real Mom and she said yes, it made him feel better too. It seemed to be a confirmation of the feeling that he had had that his mother in heaven loved his mother on earth.

This year was the weirdest Christmas that Hal could ever remember. Part of it was that he was too old for all the kids' stuff of Christmas, but too young to be one of the adults. Trelawney was kind of stuck in the middle too, but once she had her books, no one could even talk to her. She even left Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben alone. She just rolled her eyes whenever they tried to get her cousin's attention.

Hal had felt kind of funny hanging up a stocking for Santa Claus when he knew that there was no such thing. Even Butch didn't believe anymore, but he was smart enough not to say anything. He didn't want to miss out on any chances to get gifts because he was an unbeliever. But Mom and Dad hung up their stockings and so did Trelawney. She was certainly not a believer either, but she went out of her way to pretend she was for Prudence. It was a really nice thing for her to do.

That was why he had defended the idea of the "secret wish" that got Prudence her dollhouse. When they were alone, Butch had tried to start an argument with her by saying that she made it up. But she really hadn't. When she was a little girl her Mum told her about it and she always had a secret wish. She told Butch to leave Prudence alone and let her believe in Father Christmas while she was still a little kid. Hal agreed.

Butch didn't remember, but their Mom used to make really great Christmases for them. That was when he believed in Santa Claus himself. It wasn't until after she was gone that he had realized that she was the one who made them. Dad was no good at it. By the time that Mom had come and made them their first Christmas as Nanny, he already didn't believe in Santa.

But he remembered the Christmases his Mom had made for them. He figured that she would want him to help Nanny. So he pretended to believe in Santa. He helped Butch and Prudence write letters to Santa and then gave them to Dad and Nanny. Butch had even believed last year but now he pretended that he hadn't.

Butch's friend Martin had laughed at him for believing in Santa and told him that there was no such thing. Hal didn't know why Butch even had him for a friend. He was just as big a jerk as his father. They both seemed to think that they were real funny, but Hal knew that they were really just making fun of other people.

Hal had thought a lot about Christmas. He wondered why it seemed like there were really two Christmases going on at the same time. He hadn't realized it before because until Mom came they didn't go to church. He didn't even remember going to church when his other Mom was alive, but maybe he had just forgotten. However he knew that they had never had a creche before. It was almost like they didn't know half of the Christmas story.

Since Grammy was so smart about these things, he decided to ask her. One of the great things about having Grammy and Grampie living with them while Mom and Dad were away was that they were always there to talk to. He found her alone in the kitchen one day.

"Grammy," he said. "Can I talk to you about Christmas?"

"Of course, Hal," she said. "What do you want to know?"

"Well," he explained. "I'm a little confused. You see before Mom came, the only Christmas that we ever knew about was Santa Claus. We never even had a creche before. I mean, we all knew that it was Jesus' birthday and that's why we gave each other gifts, but it just wasn't important."

"But you used to go to church on Christmas, didn't you?" she asked.

"Well," said Hal uncomfortably. "Not really. To be honest, we never went to church at all before Mom came. I tried to remember if we went to church when my other Mom was, well, with us, but I really don't think that we did."

"Oh," said Grammy. She was quiet for a long time. Hal thought that maybe she forgot that he was there. But then she asked a question.

"Hal, you said that you only started going to church when your Mom came. Why did you start then?"

"Mom was kind of surprised when we didn't go to church," he replied. "I think that she talked to Dad about it because then he said that we had to go with her. But Butch complained that he shouldn't have to go, if Dad didn't go. You see, Dad liked to play golf on Sunday morning. He wasn't very happy. It was one of those times that after we talked to him he yelled 'Nanny!' And she came and he yelled at her."

Grammy seemed to be trying not to laugh. "Did he yell at her a lot?"

"Well," said Hal. "I wouldn't say a lot, but he did get annoyed with her a lot. It was kind of funny because he would get mad at her and she would smile at him. He would try to argue with her, but she never argued. After a while he would just throw his hands up in the air and say something like, 'Why fight it?' She always got her way. Yeah, come to think of it, it was pretty funny."

"So, what happened when he yelled at her about going to church?" asked Grammy, who was now smiling.

"She asked him if he had any objections to us going to church. He said no, as long as he didn't have to go," Hal told her. "But Butch said that he objected to going if Dad didn't have to go and that if Dad didn't go then it must not be important."

"So what did he say to that?" she asked.

"I don't really know," admitted Hal. "Dad made us leave the room. All I know is that after that he came to church with us on Sunday. She must have talked him into it."

"Well, Hal, your Mom does think that church is important and because you go to church you have met some really great people, haven't you?"

"Oh, yeah," said Hal. "And we've done some really groovy things like the show last summer and the work project and now the Nativity pageant."

He thought for a minute. He realized something.

"You know Grammy, a lot of the things we do at church are to help other people. That's kind of like Mom. She always wants to help other people. And when we're at church we hear all about loving other people. And Mom loves everyone too. Do you think that Mom likes to go to church because it's all about helping and loving other people?" he asked.

"What do you think?" she asked in her "I know that you already know the answer" voice.

"I think so," said Hal. "We hear a lot about Jesus and how good He is. I guess that's why His birthday is so important. If I know Mom, that's why the creche is so special to her. Maybe it's a good thing that we never had a creche before."

"Now why would you say a thing like that?" asked Grammy, looking puzzled.

"If we already had a creche, then we wouldn't need hers. But hers is really special to her, so I'm glad that we needed one," he explained.

Grammy didn't look like she was so sure about that. She still seemed to be trying to figure out why they hadn't gone to church until Mom came. He had a feeling that he had just made Grammy wonder about a lot of things. He started to feel bad for his Dad. When he came home he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

But he felt better about Christmas. It didn't feel weird anymore. He realized that because he was growing up that Santa Claus wasn't so important, except for making little kids like Prudence happy. When Mom and Dad had more little kids then he was going to have to help them make Christmas special for them. But Christmas was special to him for another reason.

He realized that when he was making the presents for his family it was because he loved them and he wanted them to be happy. That was how his Mom was all the time. And that was how Jesus was. He remembered a couple of months ago when his friend Topher had told him that it was important to love other people and take care of them.

Topher did it because he loved Jesus and when it was hard, Jesus helped him. He knew that Topher had gone to church his whole life. He was starting late, but he knew that he didn't even need for Topher to tell him that it was not too late. You could always learn to love Jesus and Jesus could always teach you to love other people. It was even worth going to church if you could learn all that stuff there. He could see why Mom had wanted them to go.

**The Wise Gentleman**

Rob was concerned when Emmeline asked if she could speak with him alone. He was afraid that now that Phoebe and Hal were gone, she would try to persuade him to allow her to return Trelawney to the family in England. But she set his mind at rest right away.

"I brought Trelawney here because I felt that she needed to be with her sister," said the young woman up front. "I still feel the same way, but you have to realize that I am the only one in the family who feels this way."

Rob breathed a sigh of relief. "So I guess that we can consider you an ally?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," she answered. "However I have to be very careful. I could very easily end up cut off from the family and that would be no good for Phoebe or Trelawney."

"In what way?" he asked.

"I am right now the only source of information for them from within the family." she explained. "I am also presently only one of two sources of information about them. The other source is Aunt Henrietta. It is fortunate for all of you that she is so unobservant. We have not had even a hint of how thin and frail looking she is. If certain members of the family knew, they would have her back in the village in a heartbeat."

"I am her legal guardian," said Rob. "I would fight it with everything I have to keep her. Ben and Bob would also support me. Annoying as they may be, they both have the influence that comes with money. On that score, Bob has a lot of influence."

"Rob, you need to understand something," said Emmeline. "This is not about money or influence. It is not even about American or British law. The Figalillys are powerful in ways that are completely unrelated to such things. I can't explain, however there are a couple of things that you must be aware of and ready for."

"Okay," answered Rob. "Since Phoebe and Trelawney clearly trust you, then I will too. Catherine told me that you reiterated Trelawney's warning."

"Reiterated?" she replied puzzled. "What have I reiterated?"

"You know," he said. "The statement about the good queen, the lovely lady, the wise gentleman, the gallant knight, and the fair maiden. Catherine said that you repeated it almost word for word the other day."

"Trelawney told you that? Almost word for word?" she asked, looking very surprised.

"She has told us a couple of times. But we first heard it from Prudence, after Trelawney gave her permission to talk about her secrets," he replied.

Emmeline looked troubled. For some reason, she seemed to think that this was something that either Trelawney wasn't supposed to know or wasn't supposed to say.

"Rob," she said. "Has Trelawney been talking a lot about the good queen?"

"Yes, she has, as a matter of fact," he said. "Whenever there is cause for worry, she soothes Phoebe by talking about the good queen, and about the wise gentleman."

"I think that you should know, that before Catherine was the good queen, the good queen was her mother," she explained. "Phoebe has told me about her various names for people in the family here. She used to have these kinds of names for the people in her life, however she never spoke about them to anyone but her parents."

"If she only told her parents, then how did you know?" he asked curiously.

"Phoebe's mother told me a couple of years ago when it started. She never got around to telling Phoebe, but she wanted me to know because Phoebe and I are very close. She knew that, if necessary, I would tell her," she explained.

"And you did?"

"No, once I heard about the unicorn story, I was afraid that if Phoebe knew that it might make things harder. I believe that that was the origin. However there is no way to know for certain. Fortunately, my aunt and uncle never knew of that. It would have broken their hearts," she said.

"However, I know from speaking with Trelawney that Catherine is the good queen and you are the wise gentleman, that was why I used them in my advice to your wife. Phoebe had told me that Catherine understands Trelawney's symbolic language."

"Was the wise gentleman her father at home?" asked Rob.

"No, her father was the good king. The wise gentleman was the pastor of our local church," she replied. "Like Pastor Jason, she would go to Rev. Flynn when her spirit needed soothing. Her sensibilities to the world around her are really much too heightened. She has also reached a point where she knows Phoebe's mind better, in some cases, than she knows her own. This is not good for either of them."

"I have sensed that and I agree," admitted Rob. "Phoebe has many more distractions now. However, the biggest one is Trelawney."

"Yes," said Emmeline. "And that is why I wanted to talk to you. It would be best for all concerned if you could take Trelawney into physical custody when Hal and Phoebe return. Presently, the strongest case that the family has for requesting her return is that you only have nominal custody, which you do. Trelawney will accept living down the street from Phoebe rather than living with her. I think that as long as they can see each on a daily basis they will be happy."

"I am not sure of how Phoebe will take that," answered Rob. "She was very upset when we changed over all her school records to reflect our guardianship. Trelawney herself seemed to willingly accept it."

"I am sure that she did," replied Emmeline. "This is an area where Trelawney knows what is best for all concerned, better than Phoebe does. You know that it is only a matter of time before Phoebe has her own children to care for in addition to Hal's three. As things stand now, she won't be able to manage it all. Taking Trelawney out of the equation will be a big help. And moving her out of the house will give Phoebe and the Professor more privacy."

"Catherine and I realize that and I suspect that Hal does too," said Rob. "If Trelawney is willing then Phoebe won't have much choice. I know that Hal will help her through it."

"I know that he will too," replied Emmeline, smiling. "He has a profound love for her. He has always acted in her best interest, even if it hurt himself very much. He is a very honorable man as well. You should be very proud of him. There are not many like him in the world."

"Including his brothers," Rob grimaced.

"Well, yes," said Emmeline.

"I hope that they are not . . . bothering you too much," he said.

"Not at all," replied Emmeline smoothly as always. "They are an entertaining diversion."

"You know," commented Rob. "You are very different from Phoebe."

"In some ways, yes," she said. "But in other ways we are alike. We are very evasive when asked personal questions and guard our privacy with care."

"Yes," said Rob, with a smile. "I can see that, but you seem much more worldly."

"That is true, however I did not spend my life working with children and knitting families back together again," she replied. "And don't even think of asking what I do spend my life doing. Suffice it to say for now that my primary concern is my cousins. That is all that you need to know."

"I understand," said Rob. "And if you can keep the two girls safe then I am satisfied."

"Good!" she replied, standing up. "I will be leaving the day after New Year's Day. I had promised Phoebe that I would stay and see Trelawney through her holiday blues. She seems to be on the mend now and your wife will take good care of her. If you ever need me, tell Trelawney and she will get in touch with me."

"You won't even tell me that?"

Emmeline just looked at him, arched an eyebrow, and left the room. Rob pondered everything that he had just heard. It was one of those times when he had to wonder if his son really knew what he had gotten himself into with his marriage. Phoebe was a sweet and lovely girl. She adored him and was clearly devoted not only to him, but to the children as well. He was looking forward to Emmeline's departure. She made him too aware of the family that seemed to not be able to let go of either of the sisters.

He would have to talk to Catherine about moving Trelawney into their house. He knew that there would be no objections on her part. In fact she enjoyed mothering the little girl. At least they weren't going to have to face it for a couple of more weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Good Queen**

Catherine had decided that it would be fun to have a little New Year's celebration for everyone. She could tell that although they had all been trying to keep the kids busy, they were feeling a little down without their parents, even Butch and Hal who felt that they needed the honeymoon.

Only Trelawney seemed happy that they were gone. She understood their need to be alone better than any of the others. Once Emmeline had convinced her that they would come home to her safely, she had cheered up considerably. She even put down her books occasionally to play with Francine or Prudence. She was glad that she was becoming more sociable again.

School would restart the day after New Year's and once they started their activities again, no doubt the time would fly for them all. She hoped that Hal and Phoebe were enjoying themselves, but she wasn't worried. She knew that they had both been looking forward to the time alone.

She thought back to her own honeymoon and how special the time had been with her husband. It was the first time that they had really had time talk with one another and get to know each other. She was disturbed by the fact that there were so many things about Phoebe and her family that Hal didn't even know. Of course it was difficult to tell what he knew. His loyalty towards his wife ran deep and she knew that he would keep any confidences that she entrusted to him.

All three of the Figalilly girls seemed highly intuitive and able to read the thoughts of others. It was ironic because they never claimed to. Aunt Henrietta made the claim but so far she did not seem to be very good at it. She had made a few lucky guesses, but that was about it. Catherine suspected however, that Emmeline did not really know as much about Hal and Phoebe's relationship as she thought that she did.

She had not watched their relationship as it had grown closer over the past three months. She knew that her son had never been very good at reading other people, but he understood his young wife very well. The fact that he had come to the conclusion all by himself that he needed to change his work habits and spend more time with her was a huge leap forward. Her trust in him was implicit. He had seen her through some very dark days. If Hal wanted to know something about her or her past, she had no doubt that she would tell him.

Of course right now Hal was entirely focused on their future. She knew that although he didn't say it, he was looking forward to the day when they had their own child. He might tease her and he might claim that it was his "wedding gift" to her, but she knew her son. He loved all of his children and creating a new life with Phoebe for them both to nurture and love was very important to him.

Between her conversations with Pastor Jason and Emmeline, she was convinced that her own intuition that Phoebe was with child already was on target. She also believed that the child was the girl that Phoebe wanted. That Trelawney probably also knew did not surprise her anymore. Nothing about that child surprised her anymore.

New Year's Eve was the last time that they would all be together. She was really grateful that school was starting up again and the children would no longer have to be entertained. As always, Ben and Bob had to get into mischief. In order to have a more "thrilling" New Year's, they had gotten their hands on some fireworks. Bob had told them not to worry.

"Come on, Mother," he cajoled, as if he were thirteen-years-old himself. "We just have some sparklers, a few firecrackers, and a couple of Roman candles."

She had relented, but realized once they got started that they had a whole lot more than that. Needless to say, Butch and Hal were thrilled. Prudence didn't like the noise and Trelawney just rolled her eyes. However, it was not their reaction that was the problem.

Mrs. Fowler came over in a tizzy, worried because her dog Fifi was so upset that she needed a tranquilizer. It did no good to tell her that Waldo was presently hiding in the basement. Telling her sons that had the opposite effect of what she hoped for. They began to gleefully set off more.

The next visitor that they had was the old family friend Officer Hadley, who wrote Ben and Bob each a citation for disturbing the peace and confiscated the fireworks.

"Come on, Officer," said Ben. "It's New Year's. Why do you have to be such a party pooper?"

"Well, sir," he said politely. "This isn't exactly the safest place to be setting off explosives. It would have been better if you had gotten a permit and taken the kids to the park. You realize that you could have set something on fire in the neighborhood."

The boys had gotten their old guilty expressions on their faces that Catherine had not seen since they were teenagers. She knew that they were embarrassed because they were being scolded in front of Emmeline, but she didn't care. She had turned her attention to the good officer. Trelawney had greeted him cheerfully when he walked in the door as her "gallant knight."

"Good evening, officer. I am Emmeline Figalilly, Trelawney's cousin," she had said, charmingly extending her hand. "I would like to thank you for the part you played in helping Phoebe and Trelawney last year when the child was lost."

Officer Hadley had turned a little pink and mumbled something about it all being in the line of duty.

"Oh, but I know that you showed extra dedication by refusing to go off shift," corrected the young woman. "We are most grateful for your efforts."

Officer Hadley nodded that it was a pleasure and beat a hasty retreat after the summons were written. Catherine was amused by the discomfort of her sons. She suspected that Emmeline was, in her own way, toying with them, not so much their emotions, but their egos. She was a beautiful woman who knew that she was a beautiful woman and was no doubt very skilled at fending off unwanted attentions.

Ben and Bob were used to impressing women with their money and influence. Like their younger brother, they were also very good looking. But they had never had developed any serious relationships with the women they dated. It was nice to see them get a taste of their own medicine.

However by the end of the evening, it appeared that all three of them were engaging in a little light flirtation. Catherine thought that they must all be pretty bored with all of this "family time" where the kids were the focus of their attention. There was no doubt that all three would be happily returning to their single lifestyles in a couple of days.

**The Wee Fairy Again**

Prudence thought that New Year's Eve was lots of fun with the family all around. Usually it was not a very big deal. They got to stay up until nine o'clock to watch the ball drop in New York City when it was midnight there last year. Dad was doing work in his study but Mommy, who was Nanny back then, had let them watch it. She wouldn't let them stay up until midnight though. She said that they would fall asleep anyway. Hal and Butch said that they stayed awake in their room, but Prudence didn't believe them.

This year, in addition to Grammy and Grampie, they had Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben, and Cousin Emmeline. Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben were acting real funny around Cousin Emmeline. Sometimes they both tried to talk to her at the same time. And when she helped Grammy in the kitchen, they always wanted to help. Trelawney thought that it was very funny.

"They picked the wrong Figalilly girl to try and impress," she told Prudence and her brothers. "Em has always had lots of boyfriends but she never takes them seriously. She plays with them like toys and then drops them when she gets bored."

"That's not very nice!" said Hal.

Trelawney laughed. "Most of her boyfriends don't have very nice intentions where she is concerned either. She's so pretty, you know? If there was any man that really cared about her, I'm sure that she would give him a proper chance."

"Are you saying that Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben don't have nice intentions?" asked Butch.

"I didn't have to say it," replied the girl, grinning. "Aunt Henrietta said it for us the minute she met them. She does get it right sometimes."

"Is that what she meant by impolite thoughts?" asked Butch.

"What else could she have meant?"

"Well, I thought that she meant that they were just being rude. Now it makes sense," he explained. "I thought that she was getting things wrong the way she always does. Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben have been acting real polite to her ever since they met her."

"And how," said Hal. "But do we have to talk about this?"

Prudence knew that Hal didn't like it when they talked about Mommy and Daddy being in love and trying to make a baby. Now she could see that he didn't like it when they just talked about men and women and how they acted when they were together. She didn't see what the problem was here.

She could tell that there was no way that Cousin Emmeline would ever want to make a baby with either Uncle Bob or Uncle Ben, or with anyone else. Cousin Emmeline really didn't seem to like children at all, except for Trelawney.

Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben had thought that it would be fun to set off fireworks for them. Prudence did not like the noise, but then something funny happened. Officer Hadley came to the door to make them stop. Cousin Emmeline made a big deal out of the fact that he had helped Mommy and Trelawney last year when Trelawney got lost. Her uncles looked very funny when she thanked him. They had that "why didn't I think of that" look on their faces.

When Officer Hadley left, Cousin Emmeline came over because she wanted to talk to her.

"Prudence," she said. "I want to talk to you in private."

That made Prudence feel important. Usually when people wanted to talk in private, it was with other people and they wanted her to go away. So Prudence followed her upstairs to her bedroom.

"Prudence," she started. "I need for you to keep a secret and to keep an eye on some things for me. Do you understand?"

"Do you want me to spy?" she asked.

"Not exactly," she replied. "But I do want for you to watch Phoebe and Trelawney and make sure that I know if anything happens with one of them."

"That sounds like spying to me," commented Prudence. "I just promised Grammy the other day that I would do no more spying."

Cousin Emmeline got a funny look on her face. She looked like she wanted to tell Prudence that it was okay for her to break her promise, but she knew that it was wrong. Prudence didn't want to break her promise, but she knew that Cousin Emmeline wouldn't have asked her if it wasn't important.

"I think that in this case, your Grammy would forgive you if she knew," said she carefully. "You see, I can't stay here, I have to go back to England. But I also need to know what is happening here. I believe that you can help me with that, but no one else will think that you are helping me."

"That's true," said Prudence. "Nobody thinks that little kids know anything, but I think that sometimes little kids know more than grown ups."

"Why is that?"

"Well," she explained. "Grown ups say a lot more when kids are around than they do when other grown ups are around. I think that it's because they think that kids don't listen. But grown ups don't listen very well because a lot of the time they are thinking about what they want to say instead of what the other grown up is saying.

"But children should be seen and not heard, so all they can do is listen to what the grown ups are saying. It's always more interesting than what kids say, so that makes it easier to remember. I'm REAL good at remembering. Do you know that Trelawney says that we don't need a tape recorder because we have me?"

Cousin Emmeline looked very confused. It was the confused look that grown ups always got when she explained things. But she still wanted her to spy and keep it a secret.

"Prudence, if you learn anything important, then ask Trelawney to contact me to come. You may only tell me in person. Remember, you cannot give anyone any messages," she said urgently.

"Okay, why should I tell Trelawney to ask you to come?" she asked. She wanted to make sure that she got it right.

Cousin Emmeline looked like she was thinking hard.

"Tell her that I want to know that the daisies are lovely," she said.

"Is that all?"

"Yes," said Emmeline emphatically.

"But I don't know what that means," said Prudence.

"That is not important," replied Cousin Emmeline. "It's better if you don't know."

"Okay," said Prudence. "I will."

After that, Cousin Emmeline seemed happier. She didn't have worried lines on her face any more. She was even nicer to Uncle Ben and Uncle Bob. As she watched them, she realized that her uncles really didn't care about Cousin Emmeline. They just wanted her to pay attention to them because she was a very pretty lady. She didn't care about them either, but she looked like she was having fun. They were all pretending that they liked each other, but it was really just a game.

She thought about her Mommy and Daddy. They had always cared about each other, even when they didn't know that they cared. She had always wondered how Hal and Trelawney had known. Now she could see that Mommy and Daddy had never played this pretend game that Cousin Emmeline was playing with Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben.

She was glad that Mommy and Daddy had never pretended. It was much nicer to have a real Mommy rather than a pretend Mommy. She guessed that some adults liked to play pretend games just like little kids did. No wonder Grammy always said that Uncle Bob and Uncle Ben were just like big kids.

**Epilogue: The Angel**

Emmeline decided that on her way out of town that she would stop and see Pastor Jason again. He did have a very special understanding of her cousin. She knew that he was counseling Trelawney and keeping her in line. However, there was a side effect to keeping her in line that none of them had foreseen. The stress of controlling herself was taking its toll on her physical health.

Of course Pastor Jason knew that she needed to see him, so he was free when she walked in. After exchanging greetings, he sat back and said, "So? Have they passed inspection?"

"You know that at the moment things with Phoebe are very well," she replied. "I am concerned about Trelawney. You know that even though there has been a marked improvement in her behavior, she is very thin. There's almost nothing left of her."

Pastor Jason looked concerned. "I know that they have been trying to get her to eat. It is very difficult. I believe that she may have a disorder where young girls stop eating when everything in their lives feel out of control. After a while what they do and do not put in their mouths becomes the only thing that they can control."

"Yes, I believe that a friend of Phoebe's mentioned it to Catherine," she said.

"Yes," replied Pastor Jason. "She mentioned it to me first and I sent her to Catherine. Since then, I have done some research. One of the difficulties with the illness is that after a while it controls the girl. Physiologically as well as psychologically she is not able to eat. In extreme cases it can be fatal. The child really needs to see a doctor."

"If she needs a doctor, then she needs a doctor," said Emmeline. "What is the problem?"

"I know that she will be cooperative about seeing a medical doctor. However, any pediatrician who sees her is going to want to send her to a psychiatrist. I am not sure of how she will take to that," he said carefully.

Damn, thought Emmeline. We can't let that happen. The family would have her back in England in no time, if they could get to her. A thought occurred to her.

"Pastor Jason, I don't exactly know why you are so interested in Trelawney or why she trusts you so much. It may be better if I don't know. However, did it ever occur to you that she may not be eating in order to 'disappear'?" she asked.

Pastor Jason stared ahead. She was guessing that the thought had not occurred to him.

"Jason, the child is really very simple, despite being very well read and talented musically. She loves her sister with a fierceness that few can understand. It is unfortunate that she knows that she is a danger to her at this time. She may be passively trying to destroy herself by wasting away, disappearing. I do not believe that this is conscious action," she said.

She knew that he understood her. She could say no more.

"I must be on my way," she said. "Take care of her. Take care of both of them. In fact, take care of all three of them."

Emmeline saw herself out. She had done all that she could do. She would return to family and await the news of Maisie's impending arrival. She would conceal the girl's true condition and hope that Aunt Henrietta would not cause any problems once she knew of Phoebe's condition. And hopefully, Prudence would continue her surveillance of the others and keep her informed.

She knew now why Trelawney was afraid of the evil witch. However, she believed that Aunt Henrietta was incapable of maintaining any kind of strong control over them. It was unfortunate that she had just enough prescience to occasionally make accurate statements. However, the way that she muddled them and mixed them up with her other nonsense could be very dangerous to them all.

The peril lay in miscalculations on her part that would result in impulsive behavior on Trelawney's part, in order to give the family an excuse to bring the girl home. That could leave Phoebe, and therefore Maisie, in the dangerous middle. But the Angel was now more powerful than he realized. She had told him what he needed to know, even though he didn't know that he knew. It didn't matter. Now he could see them safely through.

**The End**

_To be continued . . ._


End file.
